Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Proverbs · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Verſ. 1. Wiſdome]
HEbr. Wiſdomes in the plural; and this, either honoris cauſa, for honours ſake, or elſe by an Ellypſis, as if the whole of it were Wiſdome of Wiſdomes, as the Song of Songs for a moſt excellent Song, Cant. 1.1. Junius renders it Summa ſapientia: See the Note of Chap. 1.20.
Hath builded her houſe] That is, the Church, 1 Tim. 3.15. See the Note there.
Shee hath hewn out her ſeven pillars] Pillars, and poliſhed pillars. Any thing is good enough to make up a mud-wall; but the Churches Pillars are of Marble; and thoſe, not rough, but hewn; her ſafety is accompanied with beauty.
Verſ. 2. Shee hath killed her Beaſts] Chriſt provideth for his the beſt of the beſt, fat things full of marrow, wines on the lees, &c. Iſa. 26. his own fleſh which is meat indeed, his own blood which is drink indeed, Joh. 6.55. beſides that continual feaſt of a good conſcience, whereat the holy Angels (ſaith Luther) are as Cooks, and Butlers, and the bleſſed Trinity joyful gueſts.
Shee hath mingled her Wine] That it may not inflame or diſtemper. Chriſt ſpake as the people were able to hear, liſping to them in their own low language; So muſt all his Miniſters accommodating themſelves to the meaneſt capacities. Mercers note here is, Cum ſobrietate tractandae Scripturae. The Scriptures are to bee handled with ſobriety.
Shee hath alſo furniſhed her table] So that it even ſweats with variety of precious viands wherewith her gueſts are daily and daintily fed. Mr. Latimer ſayes, That the aſſurance of Salvation, is the ſweet-meats of this ſtately Feaſt. But what a do…t was Cardinal Bobba, who ſpeaking in commendation of the Library of Bonony (which being in an upper-room hath under it a Victualling-houſe,Angel. Roccha in Vatican. p. 395. and under that a Wine-cellar) had thought hee had hit it, in applying thereunto this Text, Wiſdome hath built her an houſe, hath m…ngled her wine, and furniſhed her table?
Verſ. 3. Shee hath ſent forth her Maidens] So Miniſters are called (in proſecution of the allegory, for it is fit that this great Lady ſhould have ſuitable attendants) to teach them innocency, purity, and ſedulity, as Maidens; keeping the word in ſincerity, and not adulterating and corrupting it, as Vintners oft do their Wines, or Huckſters their Wares. Hence Iſaiah alſo putteth the Prophets and Evangeliſts in the Feminine gender, Mebaſhereth, Iſa. 52.7.
Shee crieth upon, &c.] Shee, together with her maids, crieth; ſhee puts not off all the buſineſs to them, but hath a hand in it her ſelf. Wee are workers together with God, ſaith Paul.
Verſ. 4. Who ſo is ſimple] and withall perſwadeable; that have not yet contracted that callum obductum, corneas fibras, brawny breaſts, horney heart-ſtrings.
Shee ſaith to him] It is Chriſt then that ſpeaketh in his Miniſters, He that heareth you, heareth mee: Yee received it not as the word of man, but as it is indeed, the Word of the ever-living God.
Verſ. 5. Come eat of my bread] Stand not off in a ſinful modeſty; ſay not, I am not worthy, &c. but come, for the Maſter calls you, as they ſaid to the blinde man, who therefore came. And thoſe reculant gueſts, by not coming when invited, might not taſte of Chriſts Supper; for they were unworthy, Matth. 22.
And drink of the wine which I have mingled] Loe here a full feaſt, not a dry feaſt. Liranus noteth on this Chapter, that the Euchariſt was anciently delivered in both kinds: But becauſe of the danger of ſpilling the blood, the Church ordained that Lay-men ſhould have the bread onelyonly.Caranza. The Council of Conſtance comes in with a Non-obſtante againſt Chriſts inſtitution, with-holding the Cup from the Sacrament.
Verſ. 6. Forſake the fooliſh] No coming to this Feaſt in the tottered rags of the old Adam; You muſt relinquiſh your former evil courſes and companies. There are that read the words thus, Forſake, O fooliſh ones, viz. your own wayes, and live.
And go in the way of underſtanding] Renounce your vices, and practice the contrary graces. True repentance ſtands in an intire change of the whole man, from all that is evil, to all that is good.
Verſ. 7. He that reproveth a ſcorner] This, with the three next verſes, may ſeem to come in by way of Parentheſis: And they do not obſcurely intimate, what manner of hearers Miniſters moſtly meet with, viz. ſuch as our Saviour did,foreign Luke 16.14. But the Phariſees that were covetous, derided, or blew their noſes at him, as One renders it. And ſuch as long before him the Prophet Iſaiah did, Chap. 28.10. Precept upon precept, line upon line, &c. One obſerveth that that was a ſcoff put upon the Prophet: And is as if they ſhould ſay, Here is nothing but line upon line, precept upon precept. The very ſound of the words in the Original (Zau le zau, kau, lakau) carries a taunt, as ſcornful people by the tone of their voyce, and riming words, ſcorn at ſuch as they deſpiſe.
Verſ. 8. Reprove not a ſcorner] See my Common-place of Admonition. Look how Dogs prefer loathſome carrion before the ſweeteſt odours, and would fl…e in the faces of ſuch as would drive them from it: So is it here.
And hee will love thee] When hee hath well conſidered he will; though for preſent he may ſeem to do otherwiſe▪ As Aſa ſwaggered with the Prophet, and put him in priſon. We read in the Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtory, that Agapetus Biſhop of Rome, being ſent by Theodatus King of Goths to Conſtantinople on an Ambaſſage to Justinian, and having obtained a peace, hee was earneſtly intreated by the Emperour to ſubſcribe and confirm the Hereſie of Eutyches. This when hee utterly refuſed to do, the Emperour threatned him in caſe hee did not. Agapetus thereto boldly replied, I had a deſire to wait upon Juſtinian, whom I took to be a moſt pious Prince, but now I perceive him to bee a moſt violent perſecutor, a ſecond Diocleſian. With this free reproof, and Gods bleſſing withall, Juſtinian was ſo wrought upon, that hee preſently embraced the true Faith; and baniſhing Biſhop Anthemius, a great propagator of the Eutychian Hereſie,Funcius. hee ſet up Menna an Orthodox Divine in his room, whom Agapetus conſecrated, if Platina may bee beleeved. David loved Nathan the better while hee lived, for dealing ſo plainly with him:Aug. Comp. And named him a Commiſſioner for the declaring of his Succeſſor, 1 King. 1. So Alipius loved Auſtin for reproving him.
Verſ. 9. Give admonition to a wiſe man] This is an Alms that the pooreſt may give, and bee never the poorer, but the better. For by inſtructing another, a man engageth himſelf, leſt hee hear, Phyſician heal thy ſelf, Turpe eſt doctori, cum culpa redarguit ipſum. See my common place of Admonition.
Verſ. 10. The fear of the Lord] See the Note on Chap. 1.7. Here it is given as a reaſon why wiſe men are the better for ſharp and ſeaſonable admonition, becauſe the fear of the Lord is in them. This makes them, when they are reproved of all, fall upon their faces, worſhip God, and ſay, God is in you of a truth, 1 Cor. 14.26. What ſhall wee ſay unto my Lord? What ſhall wee ſpeak? How ſhall wee juſtifie our ſelves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy ſervants, &c. Gen. 44.16.
And the knowledge of the holy] That is, of the holy God. Holy is here in the plural number, importing the Trinity of Perſons, as likewiſe Joſh. 24.19. Howbeit wee may well take in here, holy Angels and Saints, whoſe Kingdome is in Daniel ſaid to bee the ſame with the Kingdome of God, Dan. 7.22, 27. and whoſe knowledge is the right underſtanding of Gods will revealed in his Word.
Verſ. 11. For by mee thy daies] This verſe depends upon verſ. 6. See the Note on verſ. 7. Thoſe that embrace wiſdome, ſhall bee paid for their pains, either in mony, or monies-worth: Either they ſhall dye, as Abraham did, with a good gray-head, or elſe with Joſiah, they ſhall live long in a little time, and then live for ever in Heaven. Henoch had the ſhorteſt life of any of the ten Patriarchs: But then hee was recompenced in the longeſt life of his Son Methuſalah, but eſpecially, in that God took him to glory. Beſides, that though hee departed the world ſoon, yet fulfilled hee much time, as Mr. Hooker hath it.Eccleſ poſit. l. 4. p. 168.
And the year of thy life ſhall bee encreaſed] Heb. They ſhall encreaſe the years of thy life. That is, they that ſurvive thee, ſhall perpetuate thy memory, thy good name ſhall never dye. Some live to bee their own Executors for their good name; and yet they ſee them (not honeſtly) buried before themſelves dye: Nay, many are as thoſe, Job 27.15, 23. hiſſed and kickt off this Stage of the World, buried before they are half dead. There is ſcarce a vicious man, whoſe name is not rotten before his carkaſs. On the other ſide, a good mans name is oft-times the heir to his life. Or, if obſcured for a time, as the Martyrs were, yet as the Sun breaks through the cloud that masketh it, ſo God ſhall bring forth their righteouſneſs as the light, and their judgement as the noon-day, Pſal. 37.6.
Verſ. 12. If thou bee wiſe, thou ſhalt] The benefit ſhall bee thine own. Plutarch reports of the Palm-tree, that it yeelds to the Babylonians 360. ſeveral commodities; And is therefore in great eſteem amongſt them. How ſhould men eſteem of found wiſdome, ſith there is a foreign in it, 1 Tim. 4.8. a thouſand commodities to bee reaped by it?
Thou alone ſhalt bear it] Thy ſcorning ſhall not, as thou thinkeſt, hurt him that tendereth thy ſalvation. For as the air, when beaten, is not hurt, no, nor ſo much as divided, but returns to his place, and becomes thicker: Ita animus recti conſcius, & ad optima erectus, non admittit irridentium flatus, nec ſentit, ſaith One; ſo an honeſt heart, ſet for Heaven, ſlights the contempts of graceleſs perſons, and pitties them that jeer when they ſhould fear, as much as good Lot once did his prophane Sons in Law. His words to ſuch are like thoſe of the Prophet; Bee not yee mockers, leſt your bands bee increaſed; Iſa. 28.22. with 10. See verſ. 7. of this Chapter.
Verſ. 13. A fooliſh woman is clamorous] This woman is Folly, as that woman ſitting in the Epah is wickedneſs, Zach. 5.7. Lavater is of opinion, that as by Wiſdome is meant Chriſt, ſo by this fooliſh woman here is meant Antichriſt; to whom therefore hee finely fitteth and applieth all the following words.
Is clamorous] Folly is full of words, and of a laviſh tongue: her factours are extreme talkative, and uſually lay on more words than the matter will bear: A great deal of ſmall talk you ſhall uſually have from them. A fool alſo is full of words, Eccleſ. 10.14ſaith Solomon, and this fond cuſtome of his is there expreſſed by way of imitation, in his vain tautologies: A man cannot tell what ſhall bee; and what ſhall bee after him who can tell? Eccleſ. 10.24. The baſeſt things are ever the moſt plentiful. Some kinde of Mice breed a hundred and twenty young ones in one neſt; whereas the Lion and Elephant bear but one at once; ſo the leaſt wit yeelds the moſt words. Ariſtophanes and Lucian, when they deſcribe fools, they call them foreign, Gapers, or Open-mouthed. Guiltineſs is ever clamorous, and the moſt lewd are moſt loud, Act. 7.27, 28.
Verſ. 14. For ſhee ſitteth at the door] In a Harlots habit, to ſee and bee ſeen, the guiſe and garb of Harlots. Tully wittily compareth the Greek tongue to an ambitious ſtrumpet, quae multo luxu ſuperfluat, which overlaſheth in too much bravery: But the Latin tongue to an honeſt and modeſt Matron, cui nihil deeſt quod ad honeſtum pertineat mundiciem, That wants nothing pertaining to a neceſſary neatneſs. Such a like compariſon between Wiſdome and Folly is here made by Solomon.
Mat. 24.Verſ. 15. That go right on their way] Shee fights at the faireſt, ſeeks to ſeduce the forwardeſt. They ſhall deceive if it were poſſible, the very elect. Flies ſettle upon the ſweeteſt perfumes, when they are cold, and corrupt them.
Mat. 7.Verſ. 16. Who is ſimple] Wiſdomes own words, verſ. 4. Take heed, ſaith our Saviour; they come unto you in ſheeps cloathing, but truſt them not: for with fair words and flattering ſpeeches, they deceive the hearts of the ſimple, Rom. 16. Samuel himſelf could not have ſpoken more gravely, ſeverely, divinely to Saul, than the f…iend at Endor did; when the Devil himſelf puts on gravity and religion, who can marvel at the hypocriſie of men?
Verſ. 17. Stollen waters are ſweet] Forbidden pleaſures are moſt pleaſing to Senſualiſts, who count no mirth but madneſs, no pleaſure, unleſs they may have the Devil to their play-fellow. Veniſon is nothing ſo ſweet, they ſay, as when it is ſtolen.
Ovid.Quod licet ingratum eſt; quod non licet, acrius urit:
Sic interdictis imminet ager aquis.
Men long to bee medling with the murthering morſels of ſin, which nouriſh not, but rent and conſume the belly that receives them. Many eat that on earth,In terris manducant quod apud inferos digerant. Auguſtin. that they digeſt in Hell.
Verſ. 18. That the dead are there] See the Notes on Chapter 2.18. and 7.27.